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OPINION

EDITORIAL: Student walkout penalties misplaced

Published 2:03 p.m. ET March 22, 2018

Aniya Demeritt, 16, a junior at Passaic High School, participated in the National School Walkout in support of a student-led protest against gun violence. Amy Newman/NorthJersey.com Aniya Demeritt, 16 a junior at Passaic High School participated in the National School Walkout in support of a student lead protest against gun violence following the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida. The walkout on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 marked the one month anniversary of the shooting in Parkland.(Photo11: ~File photo)

Student walkouts to protest gun violence went off largely without a hitch last week across New Jersey. They were part of a national movement commemorating the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Florida school shootings that killed 17. They were inspiring, respectful and generally as apolitical as possible given the contentious nature of the topic.

School officials deserve some praise as well. For the most part they showed sensitivity and understanding for the emotions involved and the students’ need to speak out in some fashion, to feel like they are doing something to fight back while our leaders continue to fail. Administrators put aside their usual rules, they arranged extra security, and they praised the activism of their students.

But there were exceptions. In Sayreville, for example, district leaders were far from receptive. Citing safety concerns for an outdoor event scheduled at a specific time and place, they chose to discourage involvement. They warned students that anyone walking out would be punished.

We didn’t agree with Sayreville’s response; there’s a strange irony to penalizing students who feel like a target for potentially making themselves a target. But we also can’t be overly critical of a district that chose to emphasize safety over sensitivity, especially in the current environment. Sayreville may have been in the minority, but it wasn’t alone in its hard-line approach.

But school officials went too far. They needlessly opted for the harshest available punishment — a one-day, out-of-school suspension. They cited the student code of conduct as if it was some sort of constitutional mandate they couldn’t possibly work around without a court order. Then, during a Tuesday school board meeting, officials couldn’t be bothered to discuss the issue. It was broached only in a Student Council Representative report, which asked the board for a “sense of direction” on the walkouts. None was forthcoming.

Students, parents and the community deserve better than that. We also urge officials in Sayreville and other districts that adopted similarly punitive policies — South Plainfield among them — to reconsider their position before the next national walkout planned for April 20.

We continue to believe students who participated in the walkouts should be applauded and encouraged. It’s an important cause; lawmakers clearly won’t act on gun control unless pressured to do so, and a persistent youth movement protesting government inaction can add to that pressure. We should want students showing courage and leadership.

The overriding message from Sayreville officials and other districts trying to shut down these walkouts isn’t about safety or the sanctity of rules and regulations. It’s about silencing young voices. It’s not enough to point to other opportunities for expression. There’s value to an organized show of strength on a national scale. Students want this opportunity to raise their voices, and school officials should recognize that, and honor that desire. It is, after all, our children’s lives that feel as if they’re on the line, every day.